How You Think About Aging Might Impact How You Actually Age

How You Think About Aging Might Impact How You Actually Age

Time Magazine have reported a new study that suggests people who believe negative stereotypes about ageing are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

Stop and think for a moment, how do you really feel about ageing? Your answer might be very telling for your future. A series of studies published in the Journal Psychology and Ageing explains that how you perceive old age will impact how you do eventually age.

In the first article research was conducted with 158 healthy adults who enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing (BLSA). They measured the subjects reactions to age based stereotypes such as: “older people are absent-minded” or “older people have trouble learning new things.”

The people in the longitudinal study were in their 40s during the initial study. Then 25 years later, the researchers caught with the subjects, they did more testing and began to measure the area in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers found that the people who held negative stereotypes about ageing earlier in their life had the most loss in hippocampus volume which meant they were more likely to develop Alzheimer and the rate at which the disease developed would be faster.

In a culture where negativity about ageing is everywhere, the research is fairly damming. Of course, there are other biological functions that contribute to Alzheimer’s. But the research should help us to understand the power our thoughts have on our long term wellbeing. So, maybe try not to be so negative about older people as it might come back to haunt you later in life.